Guilford Picked Fourth In ODAC Men's Hoops Poll
Greensboro, N.C. (11/2/06) -- Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) men's basketball coaches picked Guilford fourth in their preseason poll, the league announced Thursday at its annual media day at the Salem (Va.) Civic Center. The Quakers' preseason rating marks their best since joining the league in 1991. Defending NCAA Division III national champion Virginia Wesleyan received nine of 10 first-place votes to secure the poll's top spot, followed by Hampden-Sydney, which earned the remaining first-place vote.
Guilford's fourth-year head coach Tom Palombo returns 10 letter winners, including four starters, from last season's 13-14 squad that led the ODAC in blocks and was second in scoring with 79.0 points per game. Guilford finished 10-8 in league play and reached the ODAC Tournament semifinals for the second straight season. Junior center Ben Strong is Guilford's top returning player. As a sophomore, the 6-11 post man earned First Team All-ODAC honors and led the league in scoring (18.9 points per game) and blocked shots (1.93 per game). Also a college division all-state pick, he averaged 6.6 rebounds per game.
Virginia Wesleyan returns 12 letter winners from last year's national champions. The Marlins went 30-3 overall (17-1 ODAC) and won the ODAC Tournament for the second year in a row. They ended the year on a 28-game winning streak and defeated Wittenberg University in the NCAA title game, 59-56, on a three-pointer with two seconds left in regulation. Senior forward Brandon Adair, last year's NCAA Division III Player of the Year, led the team with 18.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.
Guilford travels to Elon for an exhibition November 4 at 7:00 p.m. before officially kicking off the season in the Jimmy V Classic in Salem, Va. against Robert Morris (Ill.) Nov. 18.
2006 ODAC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses)
1. Virginia Wesleyan 98 (9)
2. Hampden-Sydney 89 (1)
3. Randolph-Macon 81
4. Guilford 70
T5. Emory &Henry 52
T5. Roanoke 52
7. Eastern Mennonite 35
8. Bridgewater 32
9. Washington and Lee 28
10. Lynchburg 13